Like all O'Reilly books, the material is well presented, the authors can program as well as write, and the book has a very consistent and pleasing look...This is a very good book for SQL users who use the latest versions of ORACLE products at work, and want to start out creating the best possible SQL code right away. The time spent reading this book is very rewarding, and can be applied immediately to business situations encountered every day."
--Drew Garrity, Upstate New York Oracle Users Group, March 2004

"Sad to say, highly skilled and dedicated DBAs are tougher to recruit than neurosurgeons. And their time is precious--the three DBAs where I work support more than 50 production databases on a 7X24 basis, of which many are patient-care systems where a target of zero downtime is taken for granted--so it's not prudent or cost-effective to bother our DBAs with obvious or bone-headed SQL questions. Most of these databases run on Oracle and Unix or Linux for scaleability and reliability. When I send the DBAs some SQL to analyze and tune, I want to feel that I've already done everything I can within my limited abilities to spiff up that SQL myself. That's where a book like 'Mastering Oracle SQL' comes into the picture...There's still no substitute for getting the database structure right in the first place, for investing the time to understand the structure, for organizing the application properly, for using the SQL keywords and functions correctly, and of course for the hard lessons learned from practical experience in the front lines. And you always need a full set of core reference books like David Kreine's 'Oracle SQL,' Jonathan Gennick's 'Oracle SQL*Plus,' and Steven Feuerstein's 'Oracle PL/SQL Programming' at your fingertips. But make a space on your bookshelf for 'Mastering Oracle SQL' as well, and reach for it when you get that subconscious twinge that says 'Hey, there's got to be a better way to do what I'm trying to do here.'"
--Ray Duncan, ERCB, January 2003

"If you use Oracle SQL on a regular basis, and are looking for more power without turning to procedural SQL, greater understanding of what's possible with Oracle SQL, and overall greater mastery of the language, then this book definitely deserves a place in your library. The book aims to fill the gap between the sometimes spotty vendor documentation, and other non-vendor-specific books on SQL that just don't explore the full depths of what is possible with Oracle-specific SQL. 'Mastering Oracle SQL' certainly hits this mark, and proves to be a very valuable resource for getting the most out of Oracle's breed of SQL...'Mastering Oracle SQL' passes the practicality and timeliness rating with flying colors. I've already been able to use several tricks I've learned from the book to great advantage in my daily work. In conclusion, if you want to get beyond the simple examples in most books covering SQL, and get a better picture than what the references and the Oracle documentation itself have to offer, 'Mastering Oracle SQL' will be an invaluable tool in your hands. Overall rating: 9/10 "
--Dan Hanks, http://plug.org, September 2002